News

Since March 2016, Handicap International has worked with almost 20,000 people raising awareness of small arms and light weapons and explosive remnants of war in northern Mali.   This awareness-raising campaign will continue for another year. The objective is to reduce the very high number of accidents in this region of the country where weapons are commonplace following the intense fighting that took place in 2012-2013.
 

In Iraq, Handicap International runs psychosocial support sessions for people affected by the crisis, many of whom have been displaced from their homes. In Kirkuk governorate, the organization runs regular group sessions to help them overcome theirs traumas related to the conflict.

Erika Trabucco is one of Handicap International’s reconstruction and building accessibility specialists. From March 2015 to April 2016, this architect by training worked for the organization in the Gaza Strip to rebuild a hospital specialized in the care and treatment of people with disabilities and to improve the accessibility of public buildings for people with disabilities.

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake affected the coastal regions of Manabi and Esmeraldas, already hardly hit by the earthquake of April 17^th, 2016 which killed almost 700 people and hurt more than 6000, and led to 30 000 people in need of an emergency shelter.

Kenya has announced plans to close the refugee camps on its territory and to rapidly repatriate refugees who, in some cases, have lived in the camps for over 20 years. A collective of 11 NGOs, including Handicap International, have signed a joint statement reminding the Kenyan government of its obligation towards the refugees.

Between October 2015 and February 2016, Handicap International, with UNICEF's support, led a vast awareness-raising campaign in Ukrainian schools on the risks of landmines and explosive remnants of war near the front line where the Ukrainian army is fighting the pro-Russian militia. More than 5,600 children between ages 6 and 18 benefited from the program.

The aerial bombardment of a camp for internally displaced Syrians in Sarmada, near the Turkish border, caused at least 28 deaths and left more than 50 individuals wounded on Thursday, May 5.

The bombing and shelling of the city of Aleppo in northern Syria has intensified in recent days, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians.

Since January 2016, Handicap International has repaired landing strips across the Central African Republic. Implemented in coordination and conjunction with humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations and NGOs, this initiative aims at improving the distribution of humanitarian aid to the country’s most isolated regions.

In March 2016, the Syrian crisis entered its sixth year. The conflict has torn Syria apart and caused population displacement on a previously unseen scale. More than 4.8 million Syrian refugees now live in neighbouring countries, including some 638,000 in Jordan. For four years, the Handicap International teams, with support from the European Commission (ECHO), have been assisting them in communities and camps. Nowar, Ansam, Noor and Amer tell us about their daily work with the refugees.

Present in Nepal for 15 years, Handicap International was able to launch an immediate response to the devastating earthquake that struck the country on April 25th, 2015. Taking advantage of advance preparations for natural disasters in the country, we were also able to draw on our expertise in providing care and treatment to earthquake victims.

More than 8,700 people were killed and over 22,000 injured when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25 2015. Handicap International launched an immediate relief effort in aid of the most vulnerable individuals. One year on, the organization continues to supply aid to the earthquake’s victims.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador on the evening of Saturday April 16. On April 22, 587 people were reported to have been killed and more than 8,000 injured. According to the United Nations, more than one million people (out of a population of around 16 million) may have been affected. The country has suffered considerable material damage and it is not possible to access entire areas of the North West.

Since Sunday morning, the organization’s teams have been preparing to launch an emergency response in aid of people injured in a violent earthquake in Ecuador. The organization is planning to provide the injured with rehabilitation care.

Hussein, 25, was injured in an air strike in Syria, in 2013. Left paraplegic by a shrapnel that remains lodged in his back, he fled to Lebanon to seek treatment, leaving his family behind. Handicap International, with support from LIGHT FOR THE WORLD, is helping him recover physically and to fight his depression.